The Perks of Pregnancy: Seeing the Baby Grow in Your Tummy

Morning sickness and uncontrollable cravings aside, pregnancy is a very exciting time in your life. You get to anticipate the coming of your baby and with it, you get to decide on baby names, shop for clothes and decorate a nursery.

But you know what the best part of pregnancy is? Seeing your child evolve from a little fetus to a fully developed baby inside of you through ultrasound scans.

What is a pregnancy ultrasound scan for?

Pregnancy ultrasound scans are a painless process that makes use of sound waves to show how the baby looks like in the womb. With no known side effects on yourself and the baby, the scans often are the highlight of your pregnancy.

They show the different ways your body and the baby react to the pregnancy. It could be a viable ongoing one, an ongoing one with complications, a pregnancy of unknown location or a complete miscarriage. An ultrasound scan may also show non-viable, ectopic or molar pregnancy.

When should you get an ultrasound scan?

An ultrasound scan monitors the baby’s growth in your womb. As such, you would need various kinds of scans at different stages of the pregnancy.

Usually, you go for an early pregnancy or viability scan between the 6th and 8th week of your pregnancy. This focuses on the fetal heartbeat and determines whether or not you are at risk of a miscarriage.

From your 16th week of pregnancy to term, the doctor might advise you to regularly go for growth and well-being scans to ensure your baby’s safety and development.

Between the 20th and the 22nd weeks, you might want to go for an anomaly scan. This shows a closer look at the baby and your uterus to determine if there are any alarming abnormalities.

Finally, you will be able to see 3D and 4D views of your baby on a scan between the pregnancy’s 26th and 32nd week.

When are you going to the doctor to finally see your little one on the screen?